The House approved money Thursday to help local police departments hire and retain 50,000 officers over the next five years, expanding a Clinton-era community policing program that struggled to survive under the Bush administration.

The Senate has agreed to spend $5 million to investigate the cause of the economic crisis, as it moves toward passing a $245 million bill that would substantially increase the number of FBI agents and prosecutors working mortgage fraud cases.

While Merrill Lynch's John Thain was splurging on a $1.2 million office makeover and Lehman Bros.' Richard Fuld was drawing a $22 million bonus, the president of Japan Airlines was riding the bus to work, eating in the company cafeteria and cutting his salary to $98,000.

President Obama is sending Congress a budget Thursday that projects the government's deficit for this year will soar to $1.75 trillion, reflecting efforts to pull the nation out of a deep recession and a severe financial crisis.

President Obama unveils today a budget that sets aside $634 billion over 10 years, a big step toward extending health coverage to 46 million uninsured in America and subsidizing premiums for others who already have insurance.

The Senate has postponed until at least Wednesday a vote on William Lynn's Pentagon appointment because of questions raised by an unidentified Republican senator, the latest delay for President Barack Obama's plan to name a former lobbyist as deputy defense secretary.